And thus we clamoured over the debuts of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kings Of Leon. Looking back, and listening again to both albums, they are good but certainly not the best of the year. Those moments were to come from less expected – and generally less exalted – sources.
The Cardigans returned from a career crisis with the wonderful Long Gone Before Daylight and Madonna hit the mark yet again with American Life. No offence to the people of Lowestoft, meanwhile, but if you’d said that they would provide the defining rock story of the year everyone would have thought you were mad. Yet from there came The Darkness and from behind the camp splendour came an album of shockingly good songs that will surely stand them in good stead when the hype eventually dies down. Canada meanwhile provided us with the fascinating quartet of Buck 65, Hidden Cameras, Stars and Broken Social Scene.
Over in the pop world, The Sugababes finally lived up to all the expectation thrust upon them with Three – not perfect but certainly getting there and displaying a depth that puts them far ahead of the pack. Dizzee Rascal was hyped beyond all reason (certainly more than his pretty poor album deserves) while the So Solid Crew released the great UK urban album of the year to far less response.
The Strokes album was good but a worrying feeling of over familiarity was starting to creep in. On the home front it was another great year. Kíla provided the kind of album they’ve always threatened to make with Luna Park and Turn shrugged off the departure of bass player Gavin Fox to Idlewild to come up with the fine Forward. The Tycho Brahe’s Love Life was a staggering piece of work, as complex and beautiful as Berkeley’s debut was stripped down and forceful. Last year’s tip 8 Ball remained strangely quiet yet great things are afoot in their camp, so keep watching this space.